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Rev. xiv.

2.

Church of England, in all thofe Places,
where they may conveniently be had,
gives Thanks to God, with the best
Voices and Inftruments fhe can procure.
It shews an earnest and hearty Intention to
please God, however short it be of having
any real Effect, when Men offer
up to Him
the Sacrifices of their Lips, in that Man-
ner, which is accounted the most noble,
sublime, and every way agreeable, amongst
themselves.

1

Befides, we may obferve, that this Practice has an Advantage by its not having been a Mofaical Institution; and cannot, upon that account, be fuppos'd to have been only temporary, or typical, and to have receiv'd its Completion in, and been abolish'd by the Gofpel; for we find it was inftituted, by David; a Man, in refpect to his Zeal for the true Religion, faid to be, after God's own Heart. And, after the Gospel had taken Place, St. John bears the voice of harpers harping with their harps, in heaven; and finging, as it were, a new fong, before the Throne of God. Why, therefore,good Chriftians fhould not imitate thefe Examples as well as they

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can, there feems to be no Reafon: But, on the contrary, many good ones, why they fhould.

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The PORTERS or DOORKEEPERS.

Next, we are to fpeak of the Doorkeepers; whofe Bufinefs it was, to be posted up and down at all the feveral Avenues and Doors of the Tabernacle and Temple, and of all the Chambers and Offices thereunto belongings to have the Charge of them, upon all Occafions; to open and fhut them, Morning and Evening; to keep conftant Watch and Ward about them, that no unclean or otherwise suspicious Perfons, might have Admittance: and, probably, to be ready, and at hand to affift upon any occafional Call or Exigency, They were regulated and establish'd by David, at the fame Time that the Priests, Levites, and Singers were; which, probably, might be done according to a Scheme communicated to him by Samuel.

The Account we have of them is, as follows; The porters were Shallum, and Chron.

U 4

ix. 17,

Akkub, &c.

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Akkub, and Talmon, and Ahiman, sandtheir brethren Shallum was Chief, who hitherto waited in the king's gate caft= ward. They were porters in the companies of the children of Levi. And Shallum the Son of Korah, and his brethren the Kara hites, were over the work of the fervice; keepers of the gates of the tabernacle: And their fathers being over the bost of the LORD, were keepers of the entry: And Zechariah, the fon of Mefhelémiah, was porter of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. All thefe, which were chofen to be porters in the gates, were two bun dred and twelve: Thefe were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages: Whom Dai vid and Samuel the feer did ordain in their fet office. So they, and their children bad I the overfight of the gates of the house of the LORD. In four quarters, were the porters, toward the east, weft, north and fouth. And their brethren, which were in their villa ges, were to come after seven days, from time to time, with them. For thefe Levites, the four chief porters, office; and were over the

were in their safet chambers and trea

furies of the boufe of God. And they lodge

ed round about the house of God, because the charge was upon them; and the opening thereof, every morning, pertained to them. And certain of them had the charge of the : miniftring vessels, that they should bring them in and out, by tale. Some of them alfo, were appointed to oversee the veffels, and all the inftruments of the fanctuary, i and the fine flour, and the wine, and the oyl, and the frankincenfe, and the spices. And Mattithiah, one of the Levites, who was the first born of Shallum the Korahite, had the fet office over the things, that were made in the pans.

It is reafonable to believe they were employd in feveral of the fervile and inferior Offices, as well as in thofe of Credit and Importance; though, mean as their Employment was, we find David faying, I Pfal. bad rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

They were divided into Claffes, by Lot; and came into waiting, every week, by their Couries. We read that Jehoiada the High Prieft, (who, during the Minority of his Nephew King Joah, probably

lxxxiv.

10.

had

2 Chron. had the Regency of the Kingdom) Je

xxiii.

19.

10, &c.

porters at the gates of the boufe of the LORD, that none which was unclean, in any thing Should enter in.

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In the Grand Paffover, kept by King Jofiah, we have Inftances of the Priests Levites, Singers and Porters, all acting in their respective Stations; which deferve tranfcribing; and with which, I fhall close the Account upon thofe · Heads ib. xxxv, The fervice was prepared, and the Pries ftood in their place, and the Levites in thi courfes, according to the king's commandment. And they killed the passover. And the Priests Sprinkled the blood from their bands, and the Levites flayed them. And they re moved the burnt-offerings, that they might give according to the divifions of the families of the people, to offer to the LORD; as it is written in the book of Mofes. And they rosted the paffover with fire, according to the ordinance: But the other holy offerings fod they in pots, and in cal drons, and in pans; and divided them spee dily, among all the people.

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And, afterward, they made ready for themselves, and for the Priefts: Because, the Priests,

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